Google Opal: The Easiest No-Code AI App Builder?

Google just released what might be the most straightforward way to build apps ever with AI. You can build and deploy full applications without ever seeing a line of code, and it's completely free, saving you from the hundreds of dollars a month that many other AI apps might charge. The question is, does it compete with established tools like Cursor and Claude Code? Let's find out.

Introducing Google Opal

This is Google Opal, the new AI app builder from Google. With new AI app builders emerging almost daily, let's explore what makes this one stand out. At first glance, the interface looks pretty standard, but its power is revealed when you start building.

For this demonstration, I decided to build a stock analysis researcher app. The goal is to enter a company's name and receive a comprehensive report generated by AI, including stock price, investor tips, and more.

Here was the prompt I used:

"I want to build a stock researching app. I want to be able to enter in a company and get a whole bunch of information from the AI on that company, stock price, investor tips, all that."

After hitting send, the AI began its work, and in just a few seconds, it constructed the entire app.

The Unique No-Code Canvas

While the app preview appears on the right, what makes Google Opal truly unique is the central canvas. Typically, in an app builder like Claude Code, this area would be filled with code, which can be meaningless and intimidating for non-technical users.

Google Opal replaces the code with an interactive "canvas mode." Here, you can edit your app using different "cards" and abilities, which is an incredibly intuitive approach.

To test it, I entered "Apple" to see if it could generate a report. As the report was being generated, several impressive features became apparent that you won't find in other tools right now.

First, a full app was built without looking at a single line of code. There was no need to install any technology, libraries, or even open a terminal. For anyone who isn't highly technical, this is the most straightforward app-building process imaginable. It took about 10 seconds to get from a prompt to a fully functional app.

Second, as the app works, you can see the entire data flow and process on the canvas. Instead of reading code line by line, you get a clean, easy-to-read diagram. You can see data moving from the input card (our entry) to an AI card that runs a web search, extracts the data, and generates the report.

Finally, you can deploy the app with a single click. The "share" button in the top right provides a link that you can send to anyone, allowing them to use the app immediately. There's no need to deploy to Vercel, manage hosting, or handle any technical backend tasks.

The Generated Report

The report for Apple was comprehensive and up-to-date.

Company Report: Apple - Stock Information: Ticker, exchange, current stock price, and market cap. - Key Financial Data: It included detailed data, noting a significant increase year-over-year in the quarterly revenue for Q3. This earnings information was extremely recent, indicating the data is completely up-to-date. - Products and Services: The report detailed all of Apple's products, services, and more.

I had just built an entire company researching tool with a couple of sentences and without touching any code. I could then share this app with friends, and they could all start using it.

Seamless Integration and Customization

The capabilities don't stop there. If you want to edit the app further, you can continue chatting with the AI or directly manipulate the canvas by adding different cards.

A major advantage is its full integration with all of Google's applications. The AI card uses Gemini by default. There was no need to implement anything, input an API key, or choose a model. AI is simply built-in. If you want to change the model, you can, and it even includes Google's video and image generation models.

For instance, I could add a new instruction:

"Generate an image of the company products and attach it to the report."

The system automatically adds a new "generate product image" card to the canvas. Now, when generating a new report for a company like Tesla, the app will generate the report and include relevant images. If I wanted a video of a Tesla driving, it could do that too. The result is a fully customized stock researching tool, created in seconds, that can be shared with anyone. As it works, the canvas visualizes the data flowing through each card, showing the building blocks in motion.

The updated report for Tesla was formatted with a background image of a Tesla, generated by the built-in Google image model. Accomplishing this with any other tool would require configuring an AI image model, which involves technical work and time.

Pre-Built Templates

For those who don't want to start from scratch, Google Opal offers a ton of pre-built app templates that you can take and edit. For example, an app that turns a photo into an animation is already built out and ready to use.

Google Opal vs. Cursor and Claude Code

So, will Google Opal replace tools like Claude Code or Cursor? In some situations, yes.

It's perfect for building quick micro-apps that replace tools you already use daily. For instance, instead of using multiple different tools to research stocks, you can build a single micro-app that streamlines the process and share it easily.

However, for building enterprise-level applications for sale or distribution to millions of people, it's probably not the right tool. Large-scale applications require deep technical work, such as database management and other complexities that cannot be avoided. For those use cases, Claude Code and Cursor remain the best options.

A Step Forward in AI App Building

Google Opal is an incredible tool for building micro-apps for day-to-day tasks and replacing small processes. It makes these solutions free and quick to build. For researching stocks, generating images, or creating videos, you can now build a micro-app with Google Opal without worrying about hosting or other technical details.

This represents an awesome step forward in AI app building. It suggests we don't need a one-size-fits-all AI app builder. I will likely use Claude Code for building revenue-generating apps and Google Opal for creating personal apps for daily use or for sharing with a small group of people. It's a truly sick development.